


Rules Of Magic

by fate_of_the_moon



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alchemy, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, M/M, Prince Lee Minho | Lee Know, Royalty, Yang Jeongin | I.N-centric, alchemist jeongin, i think that's all, scribe seungmin, warrior hwang hyunjin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 23:47:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29617320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fate_of_the_moon/pseuds/fate_of_the_moon
Summary: Being honest, no one in the kingdom thought that the prince needed a bodyguard, but everyone wanted the position. Hyunjin, Seungmin y Jeongin had been training together in one of the towers of the real fortress all their lives, where they had learnt from magic to martial arts, to even table manners. Where there used to be three helpless kids, you could see a brave soldier, a skilled alchemist and a hard-working scribe.Behold, the tales of those who fought the rules of magic!
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Kudos: 3
Collections: AGIBBANG FEST





	Rules Of Magic

Being honest, no one in the kingdom thought that the prince needed a bodyguard, but everyone wanted the position. Hyunjin, Seungmin y Jeongin had been training together in one of the towers of the real fortress all their lives, where they had learnt from magic to martial arts, to even table manners. They had met when Jeongin was 9, while the others were just a year older. The youngest had been the only one of his promotion, since the rest of kids in his grade had failed the admission tests needed to train in the castle, so he had been added to Hyunjin and Seungmin’s grade instead. The elders had been the only ones kind enough to talk with Jeongin, and that’s how they had become best friends. Where there used to be three helpless kids, you could see a brave soldier, a skilled alchemist and a hard-working scribe.

Hwang Hyunjin, eldest of the three, had been included in various lists that talked about the best swordsmen of the country despite his young age and he was considered an ace in the battlefield. He never missed a perfect sword hit, he never let his guard down and his physical abilities were amazing. Every man in the army was waiting for him to turn 18 next March to add him to the troops.

In classes where physical strength was not required, Kim Seungmin was the one who led. Even though he wasn’t an official worker yet, he had copied two or three books in the library just by himself and he had started to work in his own book. He stood out in all the subjects, mostly because he never stopped studying. He was the smartest person to step on the castle in decades.

Yang Jeongin, on the other side, didn’t stick up in any subject. Being more specific, he was the worst in all of them but Alchemy, where he wasn’t one of the best either. He was, certainly, a skilled alchemist, the only problem was that his skill wasn’t there most of the time when he needed it. By example, it never appeared during their monthly evaluations. In fact they had had their December evaluations not so long ago, which were the ones that counted the most towards the final calcifications. Since this was their last year as trainees, the students who wanted could apply to be the prince’s bodyguard and, based on their final grades, the prince would choose one. The three of them had applied for it, even Jeongin, who was sure he had failed every exam.

The winner would be announced on 1st January, at noon. The previous night, 31st December, the three friends went to eat together, to celebrate how they had officially finished exams forever.

“Seungmin! If the prince chooses one of us, who do you think it would be?” Hyunjin asked while a waitress left their glasses on the tabe.

“You, without a doubt. You are the only one who could actually protect him.” 

“Well, I think he would choose you!” he exclaimed “I’m sure he can take care of himself and is just looking for someone interesting to speak with.”

“That’s so dumb, Hyunjin” he complained “He already has a lot of people interesting people to speak with.”

“But everyone in the palace are men and women much older than him, wouldn’t you want a friend who’s your age?” 

They kept arguing for some minutes, till Hyunjin turned around to face Jeongin, who quietly observed sitting in front of the elders. 

“Jeongin, what do you think?” the eldest asked “Do you think you could be chosen too?”

“No way, I’m sure I failed every test” he confessed “Even Alchemy”

“Don’t say that, I’m sure everything went way better than what you think” Seungmin tried to cheer him up “You studied a lot, didn’t you?”

“I studied all day long, every day. But even if I pass the theory exams, physical proofs are going to make me fail” he explained “I’m a mess.”

“You can’t think like that, dummy!” Hyunjin smiled “Look, I’m going to fail all the theory tests, but is it affecting me? No! Not at all!”

Before any of the others could say anything about how maybe Hyunjin should care about his grades a little bit more, one of the waitresses reached their table with the food they had ordered. The conversation’s topic changed drastically, since they started to talk about food, their mums and how they cooked at home… 

“Do you wanna sleep at my home today?” Hyunjin asked once they had finished. His family was the only one that lived close enough to the castle to go spend the night there everyday, while a trip to Seungmin’s or Jeongin’s would take more than a day, which caused the boys to sleep at the palace.

“That’s fine with me,” the youngest replied.

“I can’t today” Seungmin answered “There’s a book I gotta keep working on, I’m sorry”

Hyunjin smiled, taking his hand to Seungmin’s head to mess up his hair. 

“That’s fine, just don’t stay awake till too late” he said “Take a break when you think you need it.”

“As you said Jinnie.”

…

Hyunjin and Jeongin slept together, cuddling in Hyunjin’s bed to try and make winter’s cold a little bit less noticeable.

“Do you think Seungmin will be ok?” Jeongin asked “He’s always working, I’m scared he will get too overwhelmed. Do you think he’ll listen to what you said?

“He never listens, Innie” he answered “After tomorrow we won’t have classes any more. I still need to wait till March to start working. You will have to do that Alchemy course you told me about. But he will begin to work full-time as a scribe tomorrow. I’m worried. If one of us two doesn’t get picked to be the bodyguard, I’m afraid I won’t see him often enough to take care of him.”

“My course will be at the castle, I can take care of him”

“Can you promise me you will?” Hyunjin asked.

“I love you both a lot, I will never stop caring about you” he replied.

At that, Hyunjin hugged him even tighter, making some of his blonde locks reach the younger’s skin.

“I also love you both. A lot. I don’t want us to stop being friends just because we don’t go to class together anymore.” he cried “I’m very scared that will happen.”

“That won’t happen, I promise.” The promised mumbled, caressing his back reassuringly now that the other was sobbing on his soldier “Don’t cry, Jin, nothing is going to change between us. You know? Energy can’t be created or destroyed, neither does matter. I’m sure friendship is some kind of energy so don’t worry. We’ll be ok, I promise.”

…

While Hyunjin cried and Jeongin held him tightly against his chest, Seungmin sat at his desk, illuminated by the twinkling light of a candle. He was crying too, but he didn’t have anyone to hug him or cheer him up. Oh, to have someone calming him down and telling him everything would be fine. He was such an unfortunate boy, writing all alone in a dark room with no one for him. So unfortunate, knowing that the two people he loved the most about would stop caring about him if they knew why he had stayed at the castle. He dried his tears, careful not to let them drop to the paper, and continued writing.

“ _Dear Mr. Han:_

_Yang Jeongin doesn’t suspect anything at all. He has no idea that tomorrow he will be chosen. Just as you wanted. Today during food we were told how tomorrow’s ceremony will take action:_

_Tomorrow before noon, all the students will gather in the throne room, at the palace’s south wing. Once it’s midday, the prince will enter and walk to his throne. Then he will give us a little speech and he will reveal the chosen one’s name (Yang Jeongin) and they will walk to stand behind the prince. After that the rest of us can stay and have some food or go to their rooms._

_Since I’m friends with Jeongin I’m supposed to stay and celebrate it, but I can do whatever you’d want if need be._

_Let me know your plan before noon, please._

_Burn this letter once its read_

_Kim Seungmin”_

He finished the letter and bent it to keep it in his pocket, not even bothering on putting it in an envelope. He blew the candle and went out of the stance, traveling through the corridors and stairs, thanking the little vigilance in that tower of the castle. Seungmin entered the kitchen without making a sound, as usual, and he crawled under one of the tables, where he looked for a badly placed platelet. Someone had dug a small tunnel ages ago that reached outside the castle, to the place where the trash was thrown. He jumped to the tunnel, throwing himself to the floor to be able to creep till the exit. It was too dark and dirty but it didn’t matter at all. Seungmin had been creeping down the tunnel for six months already, taking his letters to Mr. Han’s workers. That night would be the first one in which he would actually talk to Han himself. He made it to the exit after some minutes, with his white shirt covered in dirt

Outside, waiting for him right where they have arranged, a boy who didn’t seem much older than him was standing. He was small, and his wide white shirt made him look even tinier. His dark hair was messy and even with almost no light, Seungmin could see the bags under his eyes. For a moment he thought he had messed up the date and that he hadn’t been supposed to meet the man that day.

“Seungmin?” the boy asked.

“Are you…?” he spoke, not being able to finish.

“Han Jisung, nice to meet you.” He offered his hand, but Seungmin wasn’t sure if he wanted it stretched or if he wanted the letter, so he simply didn’t do anything. “Thank you so much for your hard work, you have really helped me all these months. Once everything’s done and that friend of yours is safe and round, and when I get what I want, you’ll get properly paid, don’t doubt it. Now, give me the letter. 

The scribe handed him the letter with shaking hands and his “boss” unfolded it to read it. During the few minutes it took for the boy to read the missive, his mind started to travel through horrible thoughts in which everything he had planned for his friends ended up horribly. 

Han Jisung had explained to him months ago how his dear Jeongin would be chosen to be the Prince’s bodyguard. Apparently one of Han’s men had discovered that the prince just wanted a good alchemist for himself and he was just using the bodyguard thing as an excuse to get one. No one understood why Jeongin had been the chosen one, since there were alchemist training with him that were way better. When Seungmin had read that in a little piece of paper that slipped under his door, he had literally jumped out of joy, ready to go see the younger to let him know… It was so good… Too good to be true, he realized when he continued reading. The prince didn’t want an alchemist to talk with or to protect him, of course. He wanted a philosopher’s stone, able to turn non-precious metals to gold and to bring him immortality.

_“A philosopher's stone could bring thousands of benefits to the kingdom if used properly” he read in the first letter he had received from Han “But think about it, which are the possibilities that a bratty royal kid used to get everything he asks for uses such a thing properly, Seungmin? None! Humankind is mean, it’s in our blood, and no one would think of others if they owned a philosopher’s stone. Our aim is simple: avoid the prince getting himself such a thing and take it away from him if we can’t avoid it. Does he even need the gold? Do we need an immortal prince who reigns forever?_

_But we need someone close to Jeongin, and there’s no one better than you for that. Who would suspect of a scribe who stays awake to write? And in case you are wondering why should you listen… There are plenty of reasons why but I chose to give you the one I think you should know._

_Alchemy is something bigger and wiser than humans could ever imagine, it had its rule that no one should break. And it also has punishments for those who break them. Every alchemist who has tried to create the philosopher’s stone has ended up dying painfully right before creating it._

_Join us and save Jeongin from that, please._

_One of my men would go to your room tomorrow, let this letter outside if you don’t want to help me. If you want to burn it._

_Salve_

_-Han Jisung_.”

Obviously, he had accepted. He couldn’ t let Jeongin die, a world without Jeongin wasn’t a world where he wanted to live. He couldn’t forgive himself if he ended up killing his best friend because of not doing anything. 

But he was really afraid that Jisung had lied to him, that he was actually just making everything worse for Jeongin. 

“Noon? Damn, we thought it was going to be a midnight” Jisung exclaimed, distracting the other from his thoughts. “We were planning on sabotaging the ceremony, kidnapping the boy and taking him to his house, but we can’t organise that in just some hours. I guess we need to change the plan completely, so I still need you to inform me even after tomorrow. Thank you so much for everything. Take this with you and burn it yourself.” he turned around to give the letter back to Seungmin, realizing just then that the boy had been crying “What’s the matter?”

“What if…?” he cried “What if I can’t save Jeongin?” 

“Haven’t I promised you that everything will be fine thousands of times?” he answered harshly “For God sake, stop crying over that. If you doubt my intentions that much, go and cry to someone in the castle. Go and tell them your loved prince is going to kill your friend, and tell them that you are crying like a little bitch instead of helping him because you are just too scared. Let’s see how people look at you after that. Go to your room and burn the motherfucking letter, don’t dare to cry about this ever again. If you are so scared I’m going to betray you I will assume you are the one who is trying to betray me. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have that happen and see you become both a traitor for me and the prince? I’m sure it would, once it happens the prince and I will have to fight to see who kills you first. Go to your fucking room, but remember how bad it will be if I hear you say that kind of shit again.” 

He grabbed the paper strongly and ran to his bedroom, terrified by the cold tone the other had used. 

He didn’t even bother burning it, simply keeping it in a drawer before throwing himself to the bed to sob into the pillow.

Oh, Kim Seungmin was so unfortunate.

…

Oh, Hwang Hyunjin always felt such a lucky boy each time he woke up facing Jeongin. They had slept together hundreds of times but he kept melting at the sight of the smaller one sleeping, with his cheek against the pillow, drool falling from his mouth and messy hair. He loved him so much and he wanted the boy to know it so bad… If people really understood what he meant with “I love you both so much” world would be such a better place. He placed his hand on top of Jeongin’s head, playing with his hair and making it even messier. He loved his messy dark hair, and he loved his caramel skin. And he loved the way the younger frowned once he woke up due to Hyunjin poking his cheeks playfully. Each time he saw the boy he fell a little more for him, just like with Seungmin. He loved them so much calling them friends had become painful.

…

Hyunjin had scolded him once he saw the bags under his eyes, but fortunately the blonde hadn’t been able to notice how his eyes were swollen from crying. It was alright, Seungmin said to himself. They had just finished breakfast, the last one they would have together in a long time. The scribe took a deep breath, watching how students in other tables were crying, and he tried to think about his own situation.

Jeongin, of course, would continue working at the castle as the prince’s body-guard. Hyunjin wasn’t going to come back in at least three months, but even if he was going to come back Seungmin was already missing him. 

Nights were not gonna be the same without his head pats and his “don’t overwork yourself” and days weren’t going to either, seeing as he wouldn’t have his arms randomly placed around his waist at times from now on. 

“Don’t worry much about it, they probably won’t miss you as much” he told himself “They will be fine without you, you just need to learn how to be fine without them.”

Because it was indeed true that it was going to be the same without him. Jeongin would still look at Hyunjin with lovely shiny eyes and Hyunjin would still be head-over-heels for the younger. It was something easy to know for someone who had read as many romantic novels as Seungmin, but sadly none of the other boys had seemed to notice their feelings for the other. Or, perhaps, they had and just hadn’t told Seungmin… Maybe they had already acted on those feelings and had not told Seungmin for some dumb reason like not wanting him to feel excluded. But it was fine, because once the three of them didn’t speak as much between them and the friend group stopped being close, the scribe wouldn’t be a burden anymore. 

Because he had been told he was a burden, a liability, thousands of times since he had started working for Han. And if he had had to be called that so many times, it must have been true.

…

Seungmin, who sat at his left, looked anxious and was shaking on his seat. He had dressed with his best clothes, just like every other pupil at the ceremony, and even if he would have looked intimidating on any other occasion, he could easily be mistaken with a big scared pup. Hyunjin, at his right, was laughing and talking with some other guy sitting in the next row of chairs, not noticing Seungmin’s state and not being able to help. Jeongin sighed, turning to the brunette and smiling. He wasn’t the best at comforting people, but he could always try.

“Hey Seungmin,” his hand reached the scribe’s, caressing his warm skin to calm the other one “Are you feeling alright? We don’t need to be here if you don’t want to, we will make up some excuse and take you to a less crowded place if you need.”

“I’m fine I’m just nervous” the boy said, not bothering to keep eye contact and forcing a smile “You don’t need to worry, the ceremony won’t last long either.” 

Before the younger could reply, the doors of the stay opened, letting various men armed with polearms enter the room. Walking slowly, they made it to behind the empty throne where the prince would sit. Seconds after the prince in question entered too, escorted by two other men. 

The prince Lee Minho walked to his seat letting his long burgundy cape caress the floor after he had stepped on it. If someone looked close at his face he could see the powder of his makeup shining under the light from the huge lamp of the room, noticing the little blush on his cheeks and the contourer on his sharp noise. His clothes were, most probably, way more expensive than everyone else’s in the room put together: made with the most delicate and soft kind of fabric, with the prettiest and strongest colour, and adorned with shiny silver details everywhere. On top of his head, pinned to his brown hair, he wore his crown. It was by far smaller than the king’s, but it still resulted intimidating. He sat without saying a word, eyeing the students in their seats for a minute before speaking. 

“Hello, my dearest students” he smiled, even if it was a weird kind of fake smile “Today is your last day as students at this palace: from now on, those who chose to stay will no longer be considered students, but workers. And for those of you who will continue your journey in a different place, farewell. You all have done well during your years here. Me and the staff, as well as your teachers… We all wish the best for each one of you. You did well. We are proud. Become the adults this kingdom needs and use the knowledge you learnt here to make our nation’s people happier. Congratulations for arriving so far, and good luck on the next part of your journey.” 

People’s clap filled the place once he was done with the speech. It’d sounded way more genuine from what Jeongin was expecting.

“Now, as you know, one of you will remain here and become my bodyguard for the next year. A proper speech is expected in such situations but I don’t think any of you would prefer hearing the prince ranting instead of seeing who is the chosen one, so no worries, I will proceed to announce it. Do not be disappointed if you weren’t chosen, I know you will have a bright future no matter if I chose you or not.” He took a deep breath before continuing “As I already said, thank you so much for your hard work. And please, continue working hard from now on… Especially you, Yang Jeongin. I really hope you will work hard as my bodyguard for this year.”

…

“Innie, oh God, I’m so happy for you!” Hyunjin hugged him tightly and congratulated him before the alchemist had even processed the prince's words.

He was expecting bad news after hearing his name coming out of Minho’s lips. Jeongin had been so afraid of receiving some kind of harsh words like “work harder and stop failing your tests” in front of every other student he had forgotten how to think for a moment, not being able to completely understand what the man meant. Seungmin placed a hand on his shoulder after the oldest of the three had let go of him.

“Congrats Innie!” he said “You need to walk to him now, remember?”

Oh, yes. The chosen one was supposed to get behind the prince. And somehow, he was the chosen one. With shaky legs he stood up and walked till behind the throne while everyone clapped for him. Jeongin wasn’t used to receiving that much attention and suddenly having the spotlight was causing him to sweat an awful lot. The boy didn’t even understand how he had been able to make it till behind Minho once he arrived there. He bowed and clapped with everyone else for a bit, putting on a smile because even if his body was reacting negatively it was still a happy moment. 

The prince stood up as well as soon as the ovation calmed down and after saying a few more words of farewell, he started to move to the door. Walking as fast as he could, Jeongin made his shaky legs follow the older man till outside the room. The door closed behind him and the brunette turned around to face him with his usually intimidating hazel eyes looking almost kindly at Jeongin. 

“Good morning, Jeongin.” he smiled “Allow me to show you the way to the family wing of the castle.”

“Alright, your Highness.”

… 

At the very same moment they arrived at Minho’s room, the last one threw himself to his king-size bed and laughed, unpinning his crown as fast as he could and placing it on the bed with delicate hands. 

"I'm sorry you weren't able to celebrate it with your friends, they can come have dinner with us today if you want" he said "I'll send someone to let them know." 

"I don't think they can, one of them needs to work tomorrow" he calmly answered before adding: "Thanks for the offer, your Highness." 

"Don't be bothered calling me Highness, just Minho is fine." he confessed "You'll see, the bodyguard position isn't really necessary: my advisors and more staff members usually watch over me wherever I go. What makes it special it's the fact they get to stay with me when I don't have anything to do or take care of. Actually, I use them just to… Make friends."

"You want to be my friend?" the boy asked, receiving a nod from the older "Wasn't there anyone else who seemed more interesting?" 

"Probably, but it doesn't matter much. Which truly made me choose you were the words from your Alchemy teacher." he said "'He's unfortunate and three quarters of his transmutations don't even work, but when he gets it right… He was born for this, the classroom' s walls hadn't seen someone this brilliant in eons.'" To say that Jeongin was flattered was an understatement "Each of my bodyguards stay with me for a year, it's useless to make a friend who won't be here after twelve months. This year I decided on someone who could give me what I want: an everlasting friend." 

"Alchemy is not capable of such a thing, Minho" he stated. 

"I'm aware, none alchemist could create a person out of nowhere on their own… But isn't it possible with the use of a philosopher's stone?" 

"It's not possible for us alchemists to create such artifacts. It goes against laws, your Highness" Jeongin murmured, forgetting how Minho had asked him to not use "Highness" for him. 

"I'm a prince Jeongin, no rule or law is beyond my power." 

"Alchemy rules go beyond everyone's power, Minho. The ingredients for a philosopher's stone contain a human life, using Alchemy for killing or killing for Alchemy… It's not acceptable. And using something that contains a human soul taken away by force for mundane reasons is unforgivable, especially if you plan to use it to create a new human. And even if it was allowed I would not take away an innocent person's life."

"What about the people in the dungeons?" the brunette asked, with his voice full of desperation "They are meant to be executed and they have committed horrible crimes. Or people who are just about to die, please. There has to be a way." 

"I won't kill someone to get you a friend, Minho." 

"Please, just try it with someone who's seconds away from dying. Just a tiny bit of the stone, enough to make myself a friend. I won't ever ask you to use your powers again, I promise, but you don't understand how lonely I have been all these years. Please, I just want someone to stay with me."

The boy sighed, not really wanting to accept but not sure either if he could get away from neglecting the prince's petitions. 

"If you can find someone who's seconds away from dying as you say, then I will create the stone for you. I can't assure it will be enough for creating a new being, though. And I'm not sure either if Alchemy will allow me to do it. But I will try." He finally accepted. 

"I will find someone for you, Jeongin. I will, don't even worry about it, you will have that human soul you need as soon as possible. Do you promise you will create it once I get them?" 

"I promise, your Highness." 

…

_"One of our insiders has confirmed that the prince's plans to get the philosopher's stone has already begun, Seungmin. I will need you to take action as should as possible. We don't know of any real act taking place soon, but be ready to participate once it happens. We need to be fast and smart. It's in our hands to protect the kingdom, it's in your hands to protect Jeongin. Prepare yourself, Kim Seungmin. A dark chapter of your life is coming._

_Han Jisung_

_Burn the letter once read."_

He watched the words disappear in flames before his eyes before taking out a paper and starting to write his reply. 

_"Dear Han:_

_Jeongin's birthday will happen in a month…" he started "and as usual, the prince will probably hold a party for him. As his friend I will be invited."_

… 

The cold air of the night made his body shiver. Hyunjin stood up outside the castle doors, for the last time in months. Would he see his friends again any time soon? He was expecting Jeongin to invite him to his birthday party now that he had been chosen, so probably the three of them would meet again sooner than expected. 

He put his blonde hair away from his face before waving his hands to the magnificent building. 

"Farewell Jeongin! Farewell Seungmin! " he shouted as loud as his lungs allowed him to "Do well ! We'll meet soon… I will miss you!" 

He turned back, ready to walk home alone as he used to, expecting his words to reach his friends' ears. 

… 

"Farewell, Hyunjin. Farewell Seungmin. Farewell life as I know it." Jeongin said to no one in specific, with the cold breeze caressing his skin while he hovered over the window. 

… 

_"Burn the letter once read._

_At your service, Kim Seungmin."_

He signed the letter. 

… 

And like that begins the story of the alchemist who fought ancient laws, the scribe who betrayed both the crown and those who plotted against it, and the warrior whose fights were always in the name of love for those two friends he wanted to call lovers. 


End file.
